The Scorpio Races: A Lost Tale
by Galaxy14
Summary: Exactly a year before the book, we finally figure out an untold story. One that contains the monstrous capall uisce and a person that manages to befriend one. It's November again, so someone will die. (sorry, horrible summary, but I promise it's much better) Rated T for upcoming violence.
1. Prologue

_**A/N: Hello again readers. Welcome to my first story of the new year. This, as you should know, is based on the Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater and I own nothing. Please enjoy the prologue to what I hope will be a successful story.**_

* * *

><p>No one knows my name on Thisby, not yet anyway. I came from the mainland to race in this year's races, but many years ago my family did live on this tiny little island, I was just a baby when they left. But this year, I'm racing and this year, I will beat Sean Kendrick and his blood red stallion.<p>

A week before the official training began, I caught a beautiful _capall uisce_ down on the Thisby beach at night. Old tales always tell of _capall _being caught at night were faster and stronger than the ones caught during the day, and I put my faith in that tale because I'll need everything to win. My wonderful water horse was a piebald mare which I named Skata. Her eyes, piercing and icy blue, went wild each time someone touched her. Except for me. The only person in the world Skata would trust was me, me and _only me_.

~X…x…X~

I walked through Skarmouth, pushing through the crowds of fish smelling men to get to Gratton's bar to register Skata and I for the races. Not many people were here yet due to a storm off shore, but surely enough, they would be here tomorrow. Crowds and crowds of them all cramming into this tiny island. I'm surprised it hasn't sunk under the weight of the November crowds so far.

Dory Maud's voice booms out over the throng of people in laughter as I ask if I could register to race. The bar goes quiet for a moment and I feel people's gazes turn toward me, but then just as quick as the disturbance came, they fell back into conversation. I could see why Dory Maud would think it was a ridiculous idea; a small brown haired, blue-eyed kid registering to compete in the Scorpio Races, the most dangerous event probably on this earth. Her and I were thinking the same thing _"that kid will probably be a horrible bet, 45 to 1"_. But finally she replies after scanning her eyes over my body. "Name, boy?"

Blood freezes in my veins and I try to think fast, I try to shrug it off. I didn't think I would be able to even get to this point where she accepted it. "My horses' name is Skata."

Dory Maud glares, "I want _your_ name."

"Pat. My name's Pat Murray," I reply hesitantly, making my voice sound a bit unnatural as I try to make it deeper. But when I see my name and Skata's written on the board with all the other racers, I let a small smile creep onto my face. I pay the fee and finally, I'm in. Prize money and fame, here I come.


	2. Chapter 1: The First Day

_**A/N: Hello again, quick update? I think so. The next one might not be as quick because I have yet to begin writing it. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this and once again, I own nothing except my character. (Oh, and just to be not confusing, this chapter starts out with a flashback.)**_

* * *

><p><em>Elise whines and cries for father as I go to the kitchen to stir the potato soup. "Sissy, they'll be home soon."<em>

_ It's a night of a big storm and I can hear the wind howling past the low buildings. Father is still out working at the factory and mama is already asleep after an exhausting day of working. Mama is rarely home, but she got to come home tonight only because the weather got so bad everyone else went to shelter inland. Papa said he would be home soon but that was a few hours ago when our neighbor, Patrick, told us the factory workers were getting off because of the same reason as mama._

_ "Aoife!" Elise screams then runs as fast as her five year old legs could carry her to me before latching onto my waist. "Lightning! I'm scared!"_

_ Her squealing is starting to terrify me that she'll wake up the neighbors, last time that happened, we almost got kicked out. I had no worries about mama though, she could sleep through anything after a long day's work. "Shh, Elise, shh, it's okay. There's nothing to worry about. Mama is here and papa will be home soon."_

~X…x…X~

Lightning crashes outside and I imagine hearing Elise's little cries and squeals. I imagine her climbing onto the bed to cling to me and bury her face in my oversized shirt. But she's not here, not here with me on Thisby. Elise's older sister isn't even Aoife anymore. Aoife is now Pat, a short haired boy ready to ride on the back of a gigantic _capall uisce_. That giant _capall _is, right now, whinnying and screaming louder than the thunder ripping the sky apart. I fling the poorly made hotel bed sheets away from myself and get up, heading out to where Skata was. Rain trickled down from the sky, not very hard yet. The downpour was supposed to be tomorrow evening; at least that's what the fishermen told me. Skata's eyes were wide and I could see white rims all around the deadly blue. Her lips were drawn back to bare teeth, considerably sharper than the teeth of an island pony, and for now, she looked more lupine than equine. I approach slowly with my hands up, I know how fast and how deadly these horses can strike. It's almost snake-like how they whip their heads around and lash out, I've seen one too many people get their limbs amputated because of the damage. But many people also die, too. The wind howls over the island, carrying with it the salty sea's song and Skata sings back to it. The almost-November sea is mesmerizing and the magic is getting stronger.

"Shhh, Skata. Shhh, my beautiful girl." The sounds I make sound like the ocean, breaking Skata's hearing from the ocean song. I close the distance between me and her and gently reach out to put my hand on her broad neck. She calms almost instantly when my hand touches her slippery, almost seaweed like, skin. Step one, complete. Now she needs to stay calm through the first day of November when the races are. And we need to win, if we do, I'll reveal that Pat Murray is actually a short haired girl named Aoife who is from the mainland. We just have to beat the oceans song and the stallion named Corr.

Lightning and thunder crash overhead and Skata whinnies over the noise, lifting each of her hooves as she nervously trots in place. She needed to be ridden, her getting nervous like this was pretty dangerous. Nervousness in a _capall _means a whole ton of injuries and possibly even death.

We wait in the makeshift shelter until the worst passes and then I saddle her up and we ride down to the beach on the rocky cliff path, because regulation requires riders to train within one hundred yards of the sea. Through the saddle and my fingers in her mane, I could feel and hear the oceans song playing in my veins. But I kept Skata calm and snap out of it when distant thunder crackles against the early morning sky.

I whisper to my _capall uisce _then dig my calves into her sides and she surges forward with unprecedented speed. No island or mainland pony could outpace any _capall_ but I was beginning to think Skata was even faster than many of her kind. The wind whips short strands of my hair around my face like a dirty halo, and Skata's mane back into my face to make small red marks across my cold skin. My heart pounds in rhythm with Skata's and blood race sin my veins. My _capall's _hooves pound small craters into the newly wet beach sand and after what seems like just a few strides, we're already to the end of the smooth part of the beach. Meaning that we had already travelled more than two miles in what seemed like seconds. By that time, though, Skata had begun to veer toward the crashing waves of the Scorpio Sea. "Skata!" I call in a warning, but I doubt she heard because as soon as the words left my mouth, they were whisked away by the wind. So I result in yanking the reins away from the waters which seems to have done a better job than words alone, mental note for next time. The first of November is coming soon and that siren song of the sea needs to stop calling to her so we can win.

Once back under control, Skata falls back into her long stride. But soon we have to turn back because we would run out of beach in just moments if we did otherwise. Getting back to the cliff path was painless enough, but then I heard shouts and taunts from a few of the local boys. Mutt Malvern, one of the richest boys on the island, called my _capall uisce_ an island pony and said that I would have no chance. Another calls out that I race like a girl. Well, I sure hope I race like a girl because, under this boyish exterior, I am Aoife Murray. A girl who will beat all of them into the ground come the first of November.


	3. Chapter 2: After The Storm

_**A/N: Okay, I'm so so so sorry everyone who has been reading this from the beginning. I just got that sort of writers block that "I want to write something but I can't seem to move my hand and put it to the paper at all". But anyway, here's the next chapter and I will TRY MY HARDEST to get back to update this as frequently as possible. This chapter is just a bit of a filler by the way. But thank you for reading and have a good day!**_

* * *

><p>The next day, I headed back down to Skarmouth without Skata. I would look and listen to the other riders today and see their <em>capaill<em>. As I was heading through town, I saw that many of the street vendors tents had been blown to who knows where and very few were just torn. It must have been quite the storm last night. Skata and I must have just ridden when there was a break in that storm. The vendors were in a hurry to put their tents back together or make temporary ones before the rush of mainlanders came to watch the horses. But it was not yet noon and not many people were up, only the riders.

When I rounded the corner and started down the cliff path to get to the beach, I saw a whole herd of _capaill uisce _and their riders. But only one stood out to me. There was a boy sitting near one of the caves entrances with his red stallion tethered beside him, just watching. Sean Kendrick. He was watching something intently and I followed his gaze to the shoreline; two people were fighting to control their _capaill_ as they reared and tried to break for the Scorpio Sea. One of the riders falls and just barely escapes death from his _capall_ as he rolls to the side, avoiding the strong jaws. Other riders are accustomed to their mounts already and are riding up and down the beach, some veering into the oceans water more frequently than others.

And I cannot wait to show them Skata's speed and loyalty to me, not the oceans strong magic. But I had begun to think that _maybe I should save some of her strength just for the races. So no one knows what exactly she's capable of._ Because then, if I did said plan, we would have the element of surprise. On the other hand, if I do show them, we would get better bets and more winnings. The more bets there are, the more prize money I could send home to my family. _So maybe I should show off._ Down by the crashing waves, a _capall _screams and strikes one unsuspecting rider in the side of the head with a gigantic hoof. The man falls to the sand like a ragdoll and the _capall uisce _bolts for the sea. No one cares about the horse anymore; they rush to their fallen friend and try to get him help.

Sean Kendrick does nothing as he watches the scene before him. Not even the slightest movement could be seen, not even a blink. He didn't care for the mainland daredevils, but I'm not one of them. I make my way down the rest of the path to the beach and find a large boulder near the cliffs to clamber up onto. From here, I could see everyone and everything. Just on the other side of the cluster of riders and horses lay two bodies. Bodies of riders who had lost their lives just this morning, and it was barely even noon yet. Farther down the beach, I see the rocky peak the shore comes to. The sun makes a rare appearance and shines down through the cloud cover for a brief moment, I see the rays of light glint off the water and the rear of a _capall uisce _just as it vanishes below the water.

November is coming quick. And more people will die tomorrow.


End file.
